Since ancient times, Sun is symbolic of consciousness & self-illumination. For thousands of years in the Hindu mythology & tradition, Sun or Surya is worshiped as the giver of life & resonates with the physical wellbeing & spiritual growth of a human being. Sun is considered the route to the divine & many traditional, mythological & yogic practices have placed Sun centrally as the basis of their philosophies & practices.
In the yogic tradition, the practice of Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation is the practice of honoring our existence with the rise of the sun. As the sun rises with a rhythm each single day with all its heat & energy pondered upon the Earth, so does our consciousness arise every morning with the purity or our being & the zeal to take on the day with our best foot forward. Sun salutation symbolizes the rise of dawn within our selves. The Sun Salutation series is believed to be more than 2,500 years old that is believed to have originated during the Vedic times as a ritual to bow upon the dawn & energize the soul with repetition of mantras & by offering flowers, rice & water to the supreme life giver-The Sun.
Surya Namaskar is a dynamic asana sequence, a practice of honoring the Sun, & the Self, that begins & ends with joined-hands mudra (gesture) placed close to the heart center signifying the innermost will of an individual to bow to the truth. It signifies ‘With all my heart I bow Down to you (the Sun)’. The ancient yogis associated the light of the sun as the light or consciousness of our inner being. As is its symbolic & mythic relevance, so is its relevance from the health benefits perspective.
Traditional Practice of Sun Salutation:
When practiced traditionally, the Sun Salutations is a series of 12 Yogic asanas, where each specific asana is accompanied by a mantra to raise the consciousness in a specific chakra & thereby regulating the flow of spiritual energy throughout the body. While transitioning from one asana to the other in a sequence, the flow of breath is regulated as per the flow of the asana. The body expanding asanas automatically follow the inhalation pattern & body contracting asanas follow the exhalation pattern symbolizing the natural flow & rhythm of our body with body-breath synchronization.
Sun Salutation Sequence:
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Pranamasana (The Prayer Pose): This asana is associated with the heart chakra (Anahata Chakra) & starts with the mantra “Om Mitraya Namah”, meaning “I salute to the Sun that is friendly to all”. While chanting the Mantra, keep your feet together standing on the edge of the mat & balance equally on both feet. Inhale & lift both arms & while exhaling join hands in “Namaskar” mudra (hands joined in the heart center).
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Hastauttanasana: This asana is associated with the throat chakra (Vishuddha Chakra) & starts with the mantra “Om Ravaye Namah”, meaning “I salute to the Sun that is the shining & radiant one”. While chanting the Mantra, breathe in, lift the arms up and back. Keep the biceps close to the ears & aim to stretch the whole body backwards from the toes to the fingers while pushing the pelvic forward.
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Hasta Padasana (The Hand to Foot Pose): This asana is associated with the sacrum chakra (Swadhisthana Chakra) & starts with the mantra “Om Suryaya Namah”, meaning “I salute to the Sun who is the dispeller of darkness & responsible for bringing activity. While chanting the Mantra, breathe out & bend forward from the waist keeping the spine erect. Exhale completely & touch hands on the floor besides the feet. Gently try to straighten the knees.
- Ashwa Sanchalanasana (The Equestrian Pose): This asana is associated with the Ajna chakra that lies between the eyebrows & starts with the mantra “Om Bhanave Namah”, meaning “I salute to the Sun, one who illumines & the bright one”. While chanting the Mantra, breathe in & push your right leg back, as far back as possible. Bring the right knee to the floor in the front and look up. The left foot must exactly be in between the palms.
- Dandasana (The Stick pose): This asana is associated with the throat chakra (Vishuddha Chakra) & starts with the mantra “Om Khagaya Namah”, meaning “I salute to the Sun who is all pervading & who moves through the sky”. While chanting the Mantra, inhale & take the left leg back to bring the whole body in a straight line while keeping arms perpendicular to the floor.
- Sashtanga Namaskarasana (Salute with eight parts or points): This asana is associated with the Solar Plexus (Manipur Chakra) & starts with the mantra “Om Pusne Namah”, meaning “I salute the Sun giver of nourishment & fulfillment”. While chanting the Mantra, gently touch your knees on the floor and exhale to take the hips back slightly. Slide forward & rest your chest & chin on the floor. While raising the lower back to gently stretch the lower spine, ensure that eight parts of the body including two hands, two feet, two knees, chest and chin touch the floor.
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Bhujangasana (The Cobra pose): This asana is associated with the sacrum chakra (Swadhisthana Chakra) & starts with the mantra “Om Hiranya Garbhaya Namah”, meaning “I salute to the Sun who has a golden colour brilliance”. While chanting the Mantra, inhale deeply & gently slide forward to raise the chest up in the Cobra pose. The elbows may be bent in this pose & the shoulders must be pushed away from the ears. While looking up, try pushing the chest forward & as you exhale try pushing the navel down. Keep the feet & toes joined together & stretch to the best of your capacity.
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Parvatasana (The Mountain pose): This asana is associated with the throat chakra (The Vishuddha Chakra) & starts with the mantra “Om Maricaye Namah”, meaning “I salute to the Sun, the giver of light with an infinite number of rays”. While chanting the Mantra, breathe out & lift up the tail bone. Take the chest downwards in an ‘inverted V’ posture & try touching heels on the ground while trying to lift the tailbone up to get deeper into the stretch.
- Ashwa Sanchalanasana (The Equestrian Pose): This asana is associated with the Ajna chakra that lies between the eyebrows & starts with the mantra “Om Bhanave Namah”, meaning “I salute to the Sun, one who illumines & the bright one”. While chanting the Mantra, breathe in & push your right leg back, as far back as possible. Bring the right knee to the floor in the front and look up. The left foot must exactly be in between the palms.
- Hasta Padasana (The Hand to Foot Pose): This asana is associated with the sacrum chakra (Swadhisthana Chakra) & starts with the mantra “Om Suryaya Namah”, meaning “I salute to the Sun who is the dispeller of darkness & responsible for bringing activity. While chanting the Mantra, breathe out & bend forward from the waist keeping the spine erect. Exhale completely & touch hands on the floor besides the feet. Gently try to straighten the knees.
- Hastauttanasana: This asana is associated with the throat chakra (Vishuddha Chakra) & starts with the mantra “Om Ravaye Namah”, meaning “I salute to the Sun that is the shining & radiant one”. While chanting the Mantra, breathe in, lift the arms up and back. Keep the biceps close to the ears & aim to stretch the whole body backwards from the toes to the fingers while pushing the pelvic forward.
- Pranamasana (The Prayer Pose): This asana is associated with the heart chakra (Anahata Chakra) & starts with the mantra “Om Mitraya Namah”, meaning “I salute to the Sun that is friendly to all”. While chanting the Mantra, keep your feet together standing on the edge of the mat & balance equally on both feet. Inhale & lift both arms & while exhaling join hands in “Namaskar” mudra (hands joined in the heart center).
“Adityasya Namaskaran Ye Kurvanti Dine Dine
Ayuh Prajna Balam Viryam Tejastesan Ca Jayate”
Meaning of the Mantra
We must salute the sun every day for enhanced life expectancy, consciousness, strength, courage and vital power to grow.
How Sun Salutation Benefits?
Sun Salutation can be considered the Yogic Cardio that works on improving blood circulation making the blood reach all tissues of the body with a sequence of Yogic flow. It has a detoxifying effect on the body & helps strengthen the digestive system due to alternate stretching & compression of abdominal organs. It is great for oxygenating the body & regulation breath flow. It helps balance the hormones & refreshes the skin. When done regularly & consistently for a few minutes in a flow, the Sun Salutation can help loose excess body weight & maintain the essence of youth.